Track & Field

Steady Improvement for Track & Field in Final Tune-up

PASADENA (Apr. 8, 2017) – Caltech track & field contested its final tune-up meet before heading into the thick of championship season at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday.

Only a partial squad attended, yet the Beavers still managed to record their fair share of personal-best times, with some inching up program Top 10 lists.

Sophomore Melissa Gutierrez (Pico Rivera, Calif. / El Rancho) slid up one spot into eighth all-time with a 2:29.47 in the 800-meter run. She and classmate Michelle Marasigan (Elk Grove, Ill. / James B. Conant) placed ninth and 10th, respectively, among SCIAC competitors in the field, where at least partial squads from eight institutions attended.

Rookie Alexa Lauinger (Ortonville, Mich. / Brandon) improved in both the discus (two feet) and hammer throw (three feet) while working on enhanced techniques in each to set herself up well for the SCIAC Championships. Senior Lucy Chen (Boonton Township, N.J. / Mountain Lakes) made a big gain the long jump, leaping a season-best 14 feet, 3.25 inches that leaves her just 8.25 inches shy of her PR. She also ran her fastest 200-meter dash in two years at 31.49, with senior Alison Lui (Osprey, Fla. / Pine View) making a solid long-awaited debut in both the 100m and 200m.

On the men's side, freshman Jesse Cai (McLean, Va. / Thomas Jefferson Science and Tech.) lopped off another .52 in the 400m for a 51.37, which places him just outside the top 20 times in the SCIAC this spring. Junior Alex Bourzutschky (Potomac, Md. / Montgomery Bair) finally made a big leap in the 200m, chopping off more than a second to pull within just .58 of his personal best, while freshman Alex Lettenberger (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Glenbard West) continued to make significant gains in his sprints, trimming .31 in the 200m. Rookie Tim Krasnoperov (Pasadena, Calif. / Polytechnic) finished in third among SCIAC competitors in the discus despite not quite reaching his PR, while both freshman David Fager (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit Prep) and junior Chris Haack (New York, N.Y. / The Browning School) shaved about a second in the 800m. Freshman Gianmarco Terrones (McLean, Va. / The Potomac School) made his return from ankle injury in the 800m, running the third-fastest race on the team this spring at 2:01.92.

"It is exciting to see our sprinters continue to drop large chunks of time," Head Coach Ben Raphelson said. "We're getting to see their hard work in practice pay off."

Raphelson and the Beavers return to Pomona-Pitzer for the final Multi-Dual of the season on Saturday, Apr. 15 ahead of a two-week break leading up to the SCIAC Championships.